Depressive symptoms, loneliness, and other psychosocial factors in women with pain-related sexual dysfunction
Abstract
Women who experience pain during sexual intercourse (PDI) report higher rates of depressive mood symptoms. Loneliness might mediate these relationships. In this longitudinal study, I hypothesized that women who experienced greater PDI (i.e., more severe and interfering pain) would report higher rates of loneliness and, in turn, higher rates of depressive symptoms at a 6-month follow-up. Participants were 230 adults who were assigned female at birth (79.1% white, 63.9% partnered, 34.25 ± 13.7 years old) completed an online, anonymous survey including Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ8), UCLA Loneliness Scale-3 (ULS), and demographic information. Bivariate associations and bootstrapped mediation analysis examined the relationships among PDI and ULS at baseline (T1) and change in PHQ8 at 6-months (T2). PDI and ULS at T1 were significantly correlated with each other and with PHQ8 at T1. However, change in PHQ8 from T1 to T2 was not significantly correlated with any key study variables. Results of the mediation analysis indicated that ULS was not a significant mediator of the relationship between PDI at T1 and change in PHQ8 (standardized indirect effect = .011; 99% CI = -.114 to .188). These findings are consistent with previous studies highlighting that pain during intercourse is related to depressive symptoms, cross-sectionally. The lack of a significant prospective association with change in PHQ8 over time could be the result of several study limitations, including the short follow-up period and use of a non-clinical sample.
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